Standards Monitoring
What is Standards Monitoring?
The Disability Services Standards underpin the development of all the policies and procedures of Senses Foundation and therefore the provision of all its services. Compliance with the Standards is assessed by either annual self assessments or monitoring visits. Monitoring visits are conducted by an independent monitor contracted by the Disability Services Commission to review the service, provide an objective assessment of compliance with the Standards and identify Opportunities for Service Improvement.
Standards monitoring visits provide an opportunity for the monitors to meet with people with disabilities, families and carers, Board and staff members, examine documentation about the policies and procedures of the service and observe the service in operation. The monitoring takes into account these views and identifies areas where opportunities for improvement exist.
The monitoring visit involves an initial on-site meeting with clients, families and staff members. Monitors may then do interviews, hold group meetings, or visit other sites (eg group homes) to conduct their assessment. Monitors write a draft report that is distributed to Senses Foundation who is responsible for advising all those involved that the report is available for comment. The report is then finalised and provided to Senses Foundation and each report is tabled at the Senses Foundation Board meeting. Reports may contain Required Actions (RAs) and/or Opportunities for Service Improvements (OSIs). The report does not comment on staffing or funding levels, current unresolved complaints or recommend solutions to identified problems. Senses Foundation has other processes to deals with these matters.
Monitoring visits can be conducted on a comprehensive or abridged basis. A comprehensive monitoring service involves an assessment of the service against all nine Disability Services Standards. An abridged monitoring service will generally require an assessment against two Standards, and possibly Supporting Standard 8.2, depending on its relevance to the service being monitored.
Services are usually monitored on a three-year rolling basis although some services deemed at risk can be monitored prior to their three-year time frame.
In some cases, monitors may identify Required Actions. They focus on the minimum satisfactory level of service and refer to action necessary to address matters that have serious implications for the safety, wellbeing and dignity of people with disabilities. RAs may include but are not limited to matters of duty of care, safety and legal requirements.
For each RA, there will be a date specifying when the action must be completed. An RA will result in a Standard not being met.
In some cases, monitors may identify Opportunities for Service Improvement. These are suggestions often made by people with disabilities, their families, carers, staff or the monitors’ observations. They have the potential to assist the service to comply more fully with the Standards and improve the quality of service for people with disabilities.
The inclusion of an OSI in a monitoring report does not result in a Standard not being met. However, they are carefully considered by management and implemented where possible.
Senses Foundation reports on the progress of implementing OSIs in the self assessment of the following year.
Self assessments are completed yearly and provide an important and valuable opportunity for clients and families to comment on the services provided to them and take an active part in service management and quality improvement.
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